The Film Detective

Frances Langford learns it's not so easy to become a Broadway star in this zesty musical from director Wallace Fox (The Bowery at Midnight). Songs include such classics as 'That's How The Rumba Began' and 'Blue in Love Again', plus don't miss a show-stopping tap number by Lorraine Krueger! In the tradition of such classics as Stage Door, this feature is like a steeplechase set to music!

The War Department Presents Appointment in Tokyo, a documentary about the U.S. ocean battles of World War 2. With all enemy film taken from captured official Japanese newsreels, this 56 minute documentary primarily follows General Douglas MacArthur and his men from the Philippines in early 1942, through the signing of the instrument of surrender on the USS Missouri on September 1, 1945. This stirring documentary includes footage of the Battle of Leyte, the Battle of Manila, and the rescue of...

Warren Oates is Frank Mansfield, a down on his luck competitor in the sordid world of cockfighting. Broke, and ignoring his fiance's demand that he settle down to a normal life, he's vowed to never speak again until he wins the coveted Cockfighter of the Year medal. With a cast that includes Harry Dean Stanton and Steve Railsback, a screenplay by noir novelist Charles Willeford (Miami Blues) and cinematography by Oscar winner Nestor Almendros, director Monte Hellman (Two-Lane Blacktop) creates...

Considered one of the earliest examples of American "exploitation cinema" thanks to its exaggerated, hyper-sexualized depiction of native life in Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka), Jaws of the Jungle is nonetheless a thrilling, fast-paced adventure film for the wild at heart. Written and directed by Eddie Granemann (The Lost City) and starring a cast of largely unknown actors, the film follows a tribe of Ceylonese natives after they are forced to flee their village into the dangerous jungle after...

This was Harold Lloyd's most highly regarded talkie, and also one of the last films he would appear in. He plays Burleigh Sullivan, a timid milkman who finds himself in the seedy world of prizefighting. Though he thinks his success is based on his ability to duck, it's actually because his manager is bribing his opponents to fall down! Adolphe Menjou and Lionel Stander also star in this little classic (dubbed "uproariously funny" by Time magazine). It's from director Leo McCarey, a triple...

Undercover US Marshal John Carruthers (John Wayne) is investigating a rash of robberies by a character known as "The Polka Dot Bandit" in this B-movie gem. Along the way, Carruthers finds himself in more trouble than he'd ever expected! Written and directed by Robert N. Bradbury, the film features George "Gabby" Hayes, Eleanor Hunt, and many other favorites of the era. Wayne was only 27 at the time of Blue Steel, but was well on his way to becoming "The Duke."

Cedric Hardwicke and Freddie Bartholomew star in this adaptation of Thomas Hughes' famous novel. Oscar nominated director Robert Stevenson (Mary Poppins) gets help from a majestic musical score by three- time Oscar nominee Anthony Collins (Sunny, Irene), cinematography by Oscar nominated Nicholas Musuraca (I Remember Mama, Cat People), and costume design from Oscar winner Edward Stevenson (The Facts of Life). The film's art direction was by seven-time Oscar nominee Darrell Silvera (Citizen...

An American carnival arrives in Germany, but there's more going on than tilt-a-whirls and cotton candy! A barker, a female pickpocket, and a high diver become embroiled in this sordid tale from director Kurt Neumann (The Fly, Rocketship X-M). With a cast that includes Anne Baxter and notorious film noir hunk Steve Cochran, this little B-movie uses the colorful backdrop of carny life to portray the angst of a woman's shame! Shot in locations ranging from Bavaria to Munich by Oscar winning...

Movie icon Yul Brynner made his debut in this tough crime thriller from director Laslo Benedek (The Wild One). Brynner plays ruthless gangster Paul Vicola, a murderous thug whose gang has stolen medicinal narcotics from a ship docked in New York harbor. The movie also stars Scott Brady and Richard Rober as the agents out to stop Vicola, a dangerous assignment since Vicola is the sort who will have his own girlfriend killed if he thinks she knows too much!

Sterling Hayden, Eve Miller and Barton MacLane star in this thrilling tale of Southern saboteurs attacking railroad construction at the dawn of the Civil War. Oscar nominee Ray Nazarro (The Bullfighter and the Lady) directed this tale yanked from the pages of American history, a frontier time built by bullets, dynamite, and blood stained spikes!

A young soldier on a pass in New York City finds entertainment and romance when he visits the famed Stage Door Canteen, where famous stars appear and host servicemen during the war. The sensational cast includes Katherine Hepburn, Helen Hayes, Gracie Fields, Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, Harpo Marx, Gypsy Rose Lee, Ethel Merman, and the always outrageous Tallulah Bankhead. The rollicking comedy directed by two-time Oscar winner Frank Borzage also features great music from some of the top...

Typical Amos 'n Andy storyline has the boys trying to make a go of their "open-air" taxi business while they get caught up in a society hassle, involving driving musicians to a fancy party. All the regular characters are here (or mentioned), including the famous Mystic Knights of the Sea. The only film appearance of radio's long-running characters.